Iraq rocked by wave of deadly Eid attacks

At least 28 killed in shootings and bombings in Baghdad and elsewhere, as Muslims mark second day of Eid al-Adha.

27 Oct 2012 20:22 GMT

The attacks were the latest in a series of bombings and shootings across the country in the past week [AFP]

Shootings and bombings near the capital Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq have left at least 28 people dead and 92 injured, as Muslims marked the second day of the Eid al-Adha holiday, officials have said.

According to an Al Jazeera police source, two roadside bombs targeting civilians blew up in the al-Jihad neighborhood southwest of Baghdad, killing one and injuring six.

Another two parked car bombs blew up in Sadr City in northern Baghdad - one near the city's general hospital and the other in one of the main streets of called Jawader. Officials say at least nine people were killed and 32 injured.

A police source also told Al Jazeera that at least five passengers on a bus carrying civilians in Taji, 25km north of Baghdad, were killed by a bomb planted on the vehicle on Saturday. Twelve others were injured in that attack, the source said.

Doctors have warned that the toll could rise from that attack, which occurred at 9:30am local time (06:30 GMT).

Another explosion in Baghdad's northeastern Ma'amel neighbourhood killed at least seven people and injured 13 others, officials told Al Jazeera. That blast hit a market at about 9:00am local time (06:00 GMT).

"Nobody expected this explosion because our neighborhood has been living in peace, away from the violence hitting the rest of the capital," said Bassem Mohammed, a 35-year-old father of three in the neighborhood who was startled by the blast.

"We feel sad for the children who thought that they would spend a happy time during Eid, but instead ended up getting killed or hurt."

Shabaks targeted

In Mosul, 350km north of the capital, separate attacks targeting the Shabak community killed at least two people and wounded nine others, security and medical officials told the AFP news agency.

The Shabak community numbers about 30,000 people living in 35 villages in Nineveh, and many want to become part of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

They speak a distinct language and largely follow a faith that is a blend of Shia Islam and local beliefs.

"The security forces are supposed to be responsible for protecting all the citizens of Mosul," said Qusay Abbas, a Shabak member of the provincial council of Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital."This is a very troubling attack."

In the town of Tuz, in Kirkuk province, nine civilians were wounded after a car bomb exploded, officials told Al Jazeera.

The attacks on Saturday were the latest in a series of bombings and shootings in the past week that have broken a relative calm in Iraq.